Intuitive Eating: Using Brain Knowledge Over Body Knowledge

Hello RLRD readers! Connie again with some more real life examples of the gentle nutrition aspect of intuitive eating + some fun things I’m loving to put a smile on your face. If you missed this first post on gentle nutrition, you can check it out here!

I recently got a DM from a follower responding to an instagram story about eating breakfast even when I wasn’t hungry. She asked me to elaborate a bit and so I thought that would make a great blog topic – so here we are! Currently, I am 1/3 of the way through my clinical internship at Kaiser Los Angeles Medical Center, a 500 bed hospital that houses some pretty sick people. There are 8 RDs working on any given day to cover the bases. My days have never been more full, time has never flown so fast, and most days I am completely overwhelmed thinking about my patients that I forget about myself. My hunger cues these days feel like a loss of focus on what I’m doing rather than a tangible tummy grumbling since my stomach is rather tense all day which has messed with the hunger cues I’ve been use to. I have to plan my eating a little differently so that I can be well nourished. A lot of the time that means eating out of brain knowledge rather than body knowledge.

So what’s the difference between brain knowledge and body knowledge?

Body knowledge is stuff like hunger and fullness cues, cravings, and asking yourself what sounds good in the moment.

Brain knowledge is stuff like…did I get a balance of nutrients at x meal? do I think this will be enough or not enough food? I have to plan a few hours ahead…what will be satisfying and sustain me at this next meal?

I don’t really have the opportunity right now to stop and ask myself, “hmm, what really sounds good right now?” and then go make it. I am really in a place where I eat what is provided (Kaiser feeds the RDs lunch – how cool is that?!) and just move on. I do a quick brain check, by asking, “Are there carbs, protein, and fat in this meal?” “Fiber?” “Ok now where’s my sweet something after my meal to keep me satisfied?”

As long as those bases are covered I just mooooove on. For example, I really wasn’t feeling a hot dog on Tuesday but that’s what was prepared and it really did the job. I grabbed a pear too and the office always has something sweet lying around. I also wasn’t too hungry when I had a mini break for this meal, but I knew that if I waited too long for my body to tell me what I really wanted when I really wanted it, then I would be stuck in a patients room or charting and just have no time to stop which would lead me to a place of primal hunger. That gnawing uncomfortable I’m TOO hungry feeling that is unpleasant and leads to chaotic eating and indigestion. So I ate before I was as hungry as I usually am before meals because that’s what worked logistically.

Similarly, I wake up at 5 am every day to get emails done and review notes because once I get home at 6pm my brain is totally mush. I’m done. I have to leave the house by 6:40 am for Kaiser and sometimes I’m just not ready for food at 6am, BUT I know if I don’t eat I won’t have an opportunity for a full meal until lunch. That would leave me unfocused for my patients and for the critical thinking this internship requires all day long. I would rather eat out of self care and feel a little blah from eating when I wasn’t really ready for food than be so hungry I can barely carry on a conversation let alone calculate a tube feed for a patient because I’m so hungry.

I have to use my head knowledge and think about the day’s logistics, rather than just “listening to my body”. I know many people associate intuitive eating with “listening to your body” and while that certainly is a big component, it is much more than that. Sometimes our bodies can’t be trusted to tell us things. If we are in an active eating disorder we can’t trust our own hunger and fullness cues because our body has been so used to receiving an inappropriate amount of food or become so accustomed to unhealthy behaviors for so long it looses its ability to tell you what it’s feeling in an accurate way. We have to rely on brain knowledge. We also often can’t trust our bodies under high stress situations. The natural stress response is to shut down the digestive system to divert blood flow and energy to those body systems that need it most like your heart and lungs. In other words, we can not be fully attuned to our bodies so we must rely on our own head knowledge or a trained professional who will teach us some head knowledge to help us navigate these murky waters and know how to nourish our bodies when body signals are confusing and/or unreliable. That’s okay! And part of the process.

I hope that shines a little light on combining brain + body knowledge. My point with all of this is that intuitive eating carries us through all the stages in our lives, we might just have to use different tools during different times. That may be a meal plan to help us eat adequate, balanced meals when we are beginning eating disorder recovery or learning about what makes a balanced plate with all the food groups (fun food included!) in a first time nutrition education class. That might mean packing foods you predict to be satisfying and filling in the morning before leaving for work because you know you have a busy day and eating is essential to having optional cognitive function despite your stressed out tummy in the morning.

Now that we have that covered I wanted to share some fun non-nutrition things I’m loving because we always need some work life balance, right?

This video. It pumps ME UP. I have been watching this since high school when my campus minister showed it to us before leading a retreat.

Stitch Fix. I have been using this service for a long time now. It was one of the things that helped me embrace my natural body size because it allowed for me to try on things in the comfort of my own house without the stress of the dressing rooms. You can pick your price and your style and how often it comes. I just think it’s a fun treat and might be a great present for someone?! Also, if you’re interested here is a post I wrote on shopping for your new body.

Buying myself coffee. I have been purchasing a hot latte to study on the weekends or a cold brew if I can get a second away from my internship during the day and it has become a small little self care tool for me lately. Sometimes I get too in my head and physically removing myself from the current situation helps me process. If I’m having a stressful day at my internship, I can get down on myself for not knowing things or for feeling like I don’t know an answer I should know – so much so that it works me up to almost tears. At that point I’m like ok, coffee time Connie! I take the 5 minute walk to the nice coffee kiosk or the Peet’s counter in the lobby and give myself 10 minutes of peace. I used to hate spending money on coffee but for now, 2 dollars of ice coffee for some calm? I’m in!

What are some things you have been loving? Have you been using your brain knowledge in your intuitive eating journey? Share in the comments!

Comments

I loved this post. I also work in a busy hospital, and never have scheduled lunch breaks and have to just fit in a quick bite when I can between patients, so I find it hard to listen to my body for hunger cues which are often as you mentioned, a bit messed about because of work day stresses. Thank you for the well written advice on how to fit in intuitive eating when working in a job which doesn’t always let you step away as soon as a hunger cue arrives or to necessarily wait until it does.

Love your insight into bridging brain + body knowledge. It took me a long time to be okay with eating when I wasn’t hungry after recovering from ED, but it’s such an important skill to have! ALSO – I am team coffee self-care! I used to never buy lattes because they are “too expensive,” but they are my favorite drink! I’ve started splurging a couple times per week & it is AWESOME! 🙂

This really resonated me as a criminal prosecutor is on my feet in court most days and scrambling during lunch to prepare for the afternoon. I would love a post on how to eat during stressful situations in a way that minimally impacts digestion. My stomach is so often off in the afternoon and I suspect it has less to do with WHAT I’m eating and more to do with the state in which I’m eating. And I’m working on deep breaths / meditation to turn on my parasympathetic system during lunch. That said, there will always be a baseline level of stress for me during the week and if you have any thoughts on meals that might be easier on my stomach, I’d love to hear them!

This makes so much sense! I have a very anxious stomach, so when I’m traveling or have class or anything on my agenda, I find it very difficult to eat. But I’ve learned over time that I need something in my stomach that’s nutritious or I am completely ravenous by the end of the activity/day and often find myself feeling sick after eating.

I love what you said and can relate (I work in a hospital clinical setting as well!). I don’t get lunch provided for me at work, but it’s essential I meal prep a little on the weekends to have filling, satisfying meals and snacks during busy work weeks. I’ll often back many snacks and leave them in the fridge at work, so then I can just grab whatever I’m in the mood for!

This post was very helpful. I restricted a lot of food in high school and I’m still trying to figure out when I am hungry and not hungry. I also have a hard time with trying to figure out when I am actually craving something sweet :/ Being in nursing school in college has taught me a lot about the body and how important it is to keep it healthy. On Wednesdays, I have clinical and it is a very early morning. I have to remind myself to stop and let my body tell me if I am hungry or not! Sometimes I am like, “I just want to eat!!” because I absolutely love breakfast. But there are times when I know I’ll have to eat when I am not hungry. Thank you for the insight!

This was helpful! Do you have any advice on intuitive eating for people with impulse control issues? As someone with ADHD, I’ve learned that my brain can get stuck on what I want “right now” rather than choosing what will satisfy me in the longer run. Even when I know that spending 10 minutes to heat up some pasta, sauce, and veggies will make me feel better in an hour, I sometimes grab the bag of chips because my brain is so focused on the short term. Do you think people with ADHD would have extra challenges with intuitive eating, and if so how would you work with it?

Great Article, Really wonderful insights about eating consciously, which is a secret to fitness. I wanna share my brief story if you don’t mind, which is kind of similar to the theme of this article.

Being in sports during my teens, I have always been a slim and fit person. Also, my diet was according to my daily schedule,i.e. intense. I have been a charming person due to my fit body, and was loved by all. Growing up in my twenties, life took a distance from sports, but the habit of taking meals as previously never stopped. This made me obese, and caused me lot of depression. If you are fat, you might have an idea what I am talking about. My self image shattered. I have to cautiously chose my daily wears to look fine. I was no so loving to everyone anymore. My personality took a drastic change. I started going to gym, which worsen the problem, and made me extra bulky, because I didn’t realize the importance of balanced diet. I started searching over the internet and started maintaining a balanced diet. I started tracking my water intakes and installed an reminder app to fulfill my daily water intake. One other thing that I highly recommend and really really helped me out is http://bit.ly/2Ty2cmf. Today, I cannot say that I am same as I was in my teen age, but I have definitely gained my personality and confidence back. All this is possible because of giving your brain knowledge a priority rather than your bodily needs and hunger.